"Always the child of Oscar City!" 37-year-old Westbrook returns to Oscar City: This time, I fight for my opponent.

When the final whistle rang, the Denver Nuggets defeated the Clippers 120-101. Russell Westbrook, who entered the Western Conference semi-finals again after six years, raised his arms in the player channel and shouted to the camera: "Thunder, let's come!" At this moment, a complex light flashed in his eyes - it was the ecstasy of victory, the expectation of going home, and the endless attachment to the Oklahoma City, which he once called "home".

"I give everything for them": Westbrook's bond with Russia

"Oklahoma City is where I see home, and I know that the fans there love me because I give everything for them." At the post-match press conference, Westbrook's voice trembled slightly. He repeated this sentence for nine years.

From the time when the contract renewal was chanting "Loyalty is the principle I adhere to", to the time when the away game against the Thunder in 2023, the fans stood up and shouted "MVP", and now returning to the playoffs as an opponent, the story of Westbrook and Oscar has long surpassed basketball and has become a two-way journey between a city and a hero.

Nine years ago, after Durant left, Westbrook took the Thunder alone, dragged the team into the playoffs with his epic performance averaged by averaging triple-double and won the MVP.

At that time, the Russian city mayor designated August 4 as "Westbrook Day" to pay tribute to his persistence. Now, Alexander, a new generation of Thunder core, led the team to win the league's first 68 wins, and the team swept the Grizzlies in the first round. Behind the revival of Oxford basketball, the passionate genes sown by Westbrook were still flowing. "Without his persistence, there would be no Thunder today." A fan wrote on social media.

From Hero to "Villain": This time, the script of his destiny is full of drama. After leaving the Thunder in 2019, Westbrook has been involved in the Rockets, Wizards, Lakers and Clippers, but has never broken through the second round of the playoffs.

Until he joined the Nuggets this season, he was willing to become the "X factor" as a substitute. In the first round tiebreak, he made 5 of 9 shots and scored 16 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals, ignited the whole game with a dunk that locked the victory, and yelled at the Nuggets fans: "Send them home!" At this moment, people seemed to see the figure of the "rassling boy".

However, the opponent in the second round turned out to be Thunder. This is the first time in Westbrook's career that he played in the playoffs as a visiting player in Oxford. Before the game, he admitted: "I will hear cheers and boo. But I know that those loves are real, because I have burned all my youth for them." The Nuggets team reporter described Westbrook's return as "boys both a hero and a villain", but he only had the desire for victory in his eyes: "I want to go there to win, this is the best tribute to Oxford." Oxford's response: The way home with applause and tears

Thunder fans have never forgotten Westbrook. In December 2023, when he returned to Russia wearing a Clippers' jersey, all the fans stood up and shouted his name. The big screen played a tribute video, Westbrook looked up and his eyes were red.

"They welcomed me and my family with open arms, and gave me everything in every game, and I gave them all." He said emotionally after the game.

For this playoff reunion, the Thunder has planned to play a short tribute video before the game at home. The fan organization also launched the "Entering the No. 0 jersey" event to welcome the "Eternal Thunder Son" with the warmest applause.

But the cruelty of competitive sports lies in the hidden light of swords and swords under the warmth.

Thunder coach Dagnot said bluntly: "We respect Westbrook, but there is no old love at the stadium." Alexander said: "He is a legend, but now is our era."

In response, Westbrook responded with a smile: "The stronger they are, the more excited I am. This is what basketball should be."

The Heart of Child: The promise of MVP and the unfinished dreams

William, when Westbrook won the MVP in 2017, Michael Jordan wrote a letter to encourage him: "The championship will come, just like I did back then." Westbrook, who is 36 years old, is still chasing this dream.

Although his average of 11.1 points and 4.5 assists per game is no longer the peak, in the playoffs, he used his fighting, defense and bursting at critical moments to prove that he is still "lost fighting spirit in the league."

"I don't know how long I can play, but as long as I stand on the court, I will fight for every second."

Westbrook's vow is exactly the same as the declaration when he renewed his contract nine years ago. Perhaps, it is this purity that makes Ox City fans always regard him as their "personal person" - even if he is wearing the opponent's jersey, even if the victory or defeat is at stake, that love and respect have long been buried deep in every applause and every "MVP" shout.

Conclusion

Five years of wandering and nine years of reincarnation, the story of Westbrook and Oscar never ended.

When he lowered his head and kissed the floor in the Paycom Center Arena, when the cheers of the fans of the audience swallowed the boos, when the former teenager has become the "veteran" in the opponent's team, the only thing that remains unchanged is that innocent heart.

As he said, "Every floor here remembers my sweat, and I will always remember that I am the son of Oklahoma."